Croatia’s Beach Handball men’s team is the best in the world! Current world champions, and winner at The World Games in 2022, the Croatian team are hot favourites for another big success this year.
At the helm is 38-year-old Ivan Jurić, who took over as captain all of ten years ago. He has instilled a winning mind-set in a very settled team: “We have been playing together for a long time and know each other very well. Over the years, the core of the team has been undergoing gradual changes with only a small effect on the result. We are strong because of our tremendous team-work and great atmosphere in the team,” tells Jurić.
“We don't think we are the best players individually; we know we have to train hard to be the best. In my opinion we don't have special talent in the team, but we use it very well. Everyone who thought he was better than other team-mates didn't last long in the team! We just hate to lose, that is why we give everything in every game.”
18 years in the national team
“I debuted for the national team at the European Beach Handball Championship in 2007,” says Jurić. “Over the years I have played in all defensive positions, central or on the sides. In attack I have played left wing, pivot and right wing. I play wherever my coach needs me.”
The results have been spectacular: with Team Croatia, Jurić has won 10 gold medals, and individually he was named Most Valuable Player at the European (2021) and World (2016) Championships. And he was declared the best left wing at the World Championships on two occasions, in 2016 and 2018.
Training is harder when you are 38!
“I used to play indoor Handball all winter and then switch to Beach Handball for the summer. Nowadays, for training, I attend Beach Handball practices (my club's and the national team's) during the summer season, and in the off-season period I work-out in the gym to maintain my fitness, while focusing on specifics of Beach Handball. Sometimes I practice indoor Handball with my former club to keep my shoulder in a good condition and to ‘feel’ the ball,” tells Jurić.
“Of course, ageing makes things more difficult. Year by year I have to put more and more effort to maintain my physical shape. Somewhere along the way I realized I have to listen more to my body; competing all year, changing from Indoor to Beach and back, was not good for my health.”
“I never pursued a professional Handball career,” he continues. “To be honest, I thought I was not good enough to turn pro, so I focused on my college studies, played in lower-ranked indoor Handball leagues, and focused on Beach Handball during the summer. After graduation I got a job as a mechanical design engineer, and I still do this for a living.”
And so to Chengdu: can Croatia win again?
At The World Games in 2022, Croatia won gold and Qatar took silver; the bronze medals went to Brazil, the winners in both 2017 and 2013. In their World Championships triumph last year, the Croatian team beat Denmark in the final, the same gold-silver combination as in 2022; Croatia also won the World Championships in 2016 and 2008, defeating Brazil in the final both times.
“We always say that it is more difficult to qualify to TWG than to win it. There are only 7 spots in the TWG Beach Handball tournament, with the 8th spot reserved for the host team. Many great teams didn't make it to Chengdu, especially from Europe,” states Jurić.
“With all due respect to the other qualified teams, I see Brazil and Denmark as the two major threats. Brazil is the only team with whom we have a negative score record, and we have played against Denmark in two consecutive World Championship finals.”
“But other teams will for sure be very motivated to beat us too, since we are the current world and The World Games title holders,”Jurić concludes.